Women's World Cup Recap - Concacaf Edition
Two Round of 16 exits...very different takeaways
While it wasn’t expected that many Concacaf teams would advance deep at this World Cup, I did not expect to be writing my recap of this tournament without analyzing a quarterfinal matchup. Anyways, here we are….no Concacaf teams made it beyond the Round of 16 and we will have to wait until the Paris Olympics next summer to compete against the best teams in the world. Let’s get right into it to see what happened with both of these teams and what comes next!
United States: 0-0 (4-5) Loss vs Sweden
The pressure was all on the USWNT coming into this game - they were facing their “rival” after surviving the group with less than stellar performances versus the Dutch and Portugal. Fans and pundits alike were begging for a tactical, and Vlatko Andonovski made a few, including starting Andi Sullivan and Emily Sonnett in a double-pivot in the midfield. The USWNT looked as good as they had all tournament during this match (ended with 58% possession and 10 more shots on target) but ultimately, they could not find the back of the net in 120 minutes of football. Onto penalties it went! Going into this shootout, I started getting flashbacks of the 2016 Olympics quarterfinal game against Sweden where the USWNT lost 3-4 on penalties.
My concerns quickly faded after Sullivan, Horan, and Mewis buried the first 3 penalties and Sweden only converted 2 out of 3. Megan Rapinoe (brought on during extra time) stepped up to take a kick she has probably made 100 times and sailed it - but Sweden were unable to convert which left Sophia Smith with a chance to win it…she chose the right corner but put it wide. After a bit more back and forth, veteran Kelley O’Hara hit the post and Sweden were given the chance to win it. After an initial stop from Naeher, the ball spun back over the line…or did she save it? After what felt like several minutes, goal-line technology confirmed that Sweden did in fact score and the USWNT were eliminated.
Tournament Analysis
There is already A LOT of thought an opinion out there on why the USWNT lost and what comes next, so I am not going to take too long sharing my take, but there are a few things I wanted to explain in the aftermath of this game and having close to a week to reflect. I find myself in an interesting position of defending and critiquing this team at the same time…let me explain:
This team did not lose because they were too focused of “politics”, activism, or mental health…they lost because they got outplayed on the pitch…plain and simple! At the same time, this team did not lose just because of a millimeter VAR decision. An early exit could be seen from miles away based on the run-up to this tournament and what we saw heading into this game. It just wasn’t good enough.
The hate watching from many in the US was baffling - so many people were waiting for this team to crash out and lose. It was disappointing, but not shocking, to see what was being said about these women throughout the tournament…especially about their desire to win. That is just absurd. At the same time, it is okay to critique this team’s tactics, performance, and decision-making. It was a disappointing tournament and nobody is more disappointed than those players and coaches.
I mentioned the critiques about their effort and desire to win - that is dangerous territory for fans, pundits, and even former players to get into. The takes ranged from suspect to clickbait and a lot of it came from within US Soccer. While those critiques were out of line, it is okay to ask the hard questions of US Soccer to determine why this team seemed so unprepared many times in this World Cup
The substitution decisions (or lack thereof) in this tournament was disappointing. Ashley Sanchez, one the most creative players on this roster, did not see a single minute of action. While the defense was solid all tournament (only allowed one goal) it would have been great to see Alana Cook make some appearances at this World Cup. It’s easy to look back and say what should have happened but these decisions were head-scratchers to many.
Many of the ads going into this tournament were focused on the idea of “US vs the World” and in this case, the rest of the world was not intimidated at this tournament and it gave them bulletin board material as motivation. So what comes next for this team? I think there are a lot of positives to build on and challenges to be addressed - here are just a few:
Positives:
This is a wake-up call for the USWNT and US Soccer - and that is probably a good thing! This gives them the opportunity to look at the program from top to bottom and make the necessary changes over the next cycle.
The next chance for redemption is just a year away! The 2024 Summer Olympics present a huge opportunity for the USWNT to bounce back and remind the world that this tournament was an anomaly and that they are still the team to beat on the global stage!
A few young players stepped up and showed that they are a future foundation to build on. Naomi Girma (our player to watch) not only rose to the occasion to fill a starting CB role, she was probably our best and most consistent player at this tournament - a true anchor in the defense for the next decade! Despite some struggles down the stretch, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman also showed that they will be part of this attack for years to come!
Challenges:
This team only scored 1 goal in their final three games. That is a huge issue. Granted two of our best attacking threats (Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario) were out injured, this team had the talent to score goals. In the Vlatko era, this team has struggled to find an identity in the final third and that needs to change.
There is so much talk about how the world has caught up and that is why we lost - I believe that is a piece of it. Many countries around the globe are pouring more time and investment into the women’s game and you can see it. The academy paths that exist now to help women turn pro earlier in other countries don’t really exist in the US. There is still a pipeline from pay-to-play to 4-year college to the NWSL in the US. Is that the right direction to continue in?
The coaching situation. Based on everything we saw and what we have heard, Vlatko will not continue as manager. So who is the replacement? A lot of the leading candidates with international experience will likely stay with their current national teams (given momentum there). The decision of the next manager is crucial and the pressure will be high!
Jamaica: 0-1 Loss vs Colombia
The Reggae Girlz incredible run to the knockout stage has come to a close and it was a fantastic showing! Two of the most exciting players in the world (Linda Caicedo and Bunny Shaw) went head to head in this game. It was a tight first half and Jamaica’s defense continued to show why they have carried the team to this stage. Early in the second half, Colombia’s captain and all-time leading scorer Catalina Usme gathered the ball off a fantastic cross and hit the back of the net with a great left-footed finish. This was the first goal Jamaica had given up all tournament.
The Reggae Girlz needed a goal and they had a few good chances the rest of the game but could not convert any of those into the equalizer. In the end, the game finished 0-1 and the Jamaican’s bowed out of the tournament. The first goal they allowed ended up being the one that sent them home from the World Cup they already made history in. While they were disappointed to end their tournament run, this team has so much to be proud of and a lot to build on!
Tournament Analysis
Going into this World Cup, nobody was giving this team a chance to advance out of the group stage (including me). The had to face the likes of France and Brazil in one of the toughest groups at this tournament. Not only did they exceed expectations - they made history and an argument could be made that they were best team from Concacaf in this World Cup. Going forward there are a lot of positives to build on and significant challenges that, I hope, can be addressed after this incredible showing:
Positives:
This team faced France, Brazil, and Colombia and only gave up one goal! That is an enormous accomplishment and a huge boost of confidence. The combination of the Swaby sisters in the center and Rebecca Spencer in goal proved to be one of the hardest defenses to break down at the tournament. The Reggae Girlz have their backline set!
Jamaica has incredible momentum coming off of this historic accomplishment - Bunny Shaw said it best in the postgame: "We came out and we held our own. We played hard, but it's football, you win some and you lose some. We just have to lift our heads high [and] be proud of ourselves, and as you can see the gap is closing between the small islands and the bigger countries. This just goes to show that women's football is growing and we have to keep moving forward and keep pushing it and, hopefully, we can get it as far as possible,"
The team will have the opportunity to carry this momentum forward as they face Canada next month in a 2-leg playoff to see who will join the USWNT at the 2024 Olympics. Canada (defending Olympic champs) will be looking for redemption after a subpar World Cup. If The Reggae Girlz can advance and play at the Olympics, it will be another massive accomplishment for this squad and another chance to compete at the highest level!
Challenges:
The relationship with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is not in a good place. Let’s not forget - this historic run to the knockout round was not fueled by a federation supporting and backing the team…in fact, it was quite the opposite. Check out our previous posts for some more background on that. After this great showing, you would expect for support to be there, but manager Lorne Donaldson is not necessarily optimistic: “In 2019, nothing happened, maybe with some help from the government, even though FIFA and the government don't really mix, we can all come together and try to figure something out, so we don’t do something hodgy-podgy all the time. The sun is going to come up tomorrow, so we have to be ready to go and just get on with our lives.”
Jamaica were only able to score one goal at this World Cup. This team needs to find different ways to score, especially in big games. Bunny Shaw is always going to command a lot of attention from opposing defenses and if she cannot get free and score, this team needs to have a gameplan to be dangerous in other ways in and around the box.
And with that, Concacaf’s time at the World Cup has come to a close. While there were several disappointments, there were also many things that make me even more optimistic about the women’s game in this region! The early exists for USA and Canada will give the North American nations the need to look in the mirror and reflect on where to go from here. The impressive showings from Jamaica and Haiti will hopefully inspire their countries and other Caribbean nations to invest in their teams. While Panama and Costa Rica were disappointed not to get results, they made Central American proud and I hope to see other federations in the region take steps forward.
Thank you for following our coverage and analysis during this Women’s World Cup! Although there are no Concacaf nations left, the semifinals are now set at the time of this post and it is going to be an exciting end to the tournament! During this busy summer of tournaments, ConcaCorner has consisted mostly of recaps, summaries, and analysis. Now that these tournaments have come to a close, I look forward to bringing you more player profiles and stories from around the region!